Woodville

Nomenclature

The town was named, no doubt, because of its apt description of what was once a well timbered locality; however, a 'Woodville' does exist in Derbyshire, England.

General Notes

Information on the first Half-Way House is in the Register, 25 February 1878, page 5b:

...[It] was built of pise and covered with thatch from the Reedbeds... A great sensation was caused when a spring of water was tapped close to the house. Hitherto the Port had been supplied from Torrens Island - just soakage through perforated casks sunk in the sand...

A correspondent to the Register stirred up a hornet's nest on 16 August 1856, page 3d:

Either Woodville is a myth or a place "looming in the future". Its pretensions, on paper, already threaten to swamp every existing interest in the colony, and it may be a wise thing for the Railway Undertakers to compromise at once with its authorities, by letting the train stop at every house each trip and passengers from other towns instructed to get out, or change to first class carriages, if needful, to accommodate the people (?) of Woodville.
(Also see Register, 19 and 20 August 1856, pages 2h and 3d.)

Information on local schools is in the Register,
22 July 1857, page 3f, Observer,
25 July 1857, page 3c.

The suburb is described in Parliamentary Paper
67/1888.
"Early Woodville" is in the Register,
30 May 1922, page 9f,
3, 6, 10 and 16 June 1922, pages 14a, 10d, 12c and 4f,
3 July 1922, page 8f,
"Woodville's Jubilee" on
17 January 1925, page 13d.

"Story of Development" is in the Register,
17 January 1925, page 13d,
"Progressive Woodville" on
22 June 1928, page 11b.
A history of the district is in The News,
8 September 1932, page 11b,
11 February 1933, page 4e,
14 July 1934, page 2,
16 July 1938.

An interesting exchange of letters between John B. Hughes and "Enquirer" is in the Register,
16, 19, 20 and 25 August 1856 pages 3d, 2h, 3d and 3f.

The trial of a reaping machine manufactured by Messrs Sloggett, Forster and Williams is reported in the Register,
24 February 1863, page 3d,
2 and 6 March 1863, pages 3e and 2h.
A trial of reaping machines is reported in the Register,
17 December 1875, page 6e - see
27 December 1875, page 6e for a letter from J.W. Bull and page 5b for editorial comment.
Also see South Australia - Industries - Rural, Primary and Secondary - Farming - Farm Implements.

A pigeon shooting match is reported in the Register,
22 June 1866, page 2e,
10 February 1869, page 2g;
a match on Mr Hanson's paddock is reported in the Chronicle,
31 July 1869, page 4d.
Also see South Australia - Pigeon Racing and Shooting.

A football match against Port Adelaide is reported in the Express,
2 June 1868, page 2d,
4 May 1869, page 2e,
a local team against the Young Australians is in the Observer,
4 June 1870, page 8c.Express,
8 and 16 August 1870, page 2d,
26 July 1875, page 2d,
16 August 1875, page 2e,
20 September 1875, page 2c,
15 May 1876, page 2c,
21 June 1876, page 3g,
1, 17 and 24 July 1876, pages 2e, 2g and 3b,
19 and 22 August 1876, pages 2e and 2g,
1 May 1877, page 3g, Observer,
12 June 1875, page 8b for a match against Port Adelaide and
8 April 1876, page 4g,
27 May 1876, page 6a,
3 June 1876, page 4b,
16 September 1876, page 5c,Chronicle,
29 July 1876, page 13e (first match under "new" rules), Express,
7 April 1881, page 2d,Observer,
1 April 1899, page 20e.
Also see South Australia - Sport - Football.

A football match, Woodville versus Kapunda, is reported in the Register,
27 May 1876, page 5e; also see Advertiser,
18 June 1877, page 7c:

The Woodvilles play a very fair game, but are sadly deficient in one very necessary qualification for a good team, namely, ability to take a licking.
(Also see Advertiser,
25 June 1877, page 7d, Express,
18 March 1882, page 2b.)

"The Public Squares and Reserves at Woodville" is in the Register,
27 June 1876, page 5b.

A proposed district hall is discussed in the Chronicle,
12 August 1876, page 18f;
a photograph is in the Observer,
11 July 1903, page 27.
A proposed Institute is discussed in the Observer,
28 July 1877, page 7a;
its opening is reported in the Register,
23 March 1878, page 5c.
"New Woodville Hall" is in the Register,
12 April 1927, page 6f.

An obituary of George Young is in the Register,
14 and 15 August 1876, pages 5c and 4g.

A Catholic picnic is reported in the Chronicle,
30 December 1876, page 10e.Observer,
29 December 1877, page 6f,
5 January 1878, page 13g.

A meeting called to consider the need for a school is reported in the Register,
11 May 1877, page 5c -
its opening is reported on
13 November 1878, page 5c; also see Observer,
13 December 1879, page 7g.

Prizegiving at the "Woodville High School" is reported in the Register,
18 December 1895, page 7d,
17 December 1897, page 6c,Chronicle,
24 December 1898, page 21b; also see Advertiser,
11 February 1908, page 8e,Register,
26 April 1909, page 7b.
A "Back to Woodville School" is in the Advertiser,
9 and 11 March 1929, pages 19g and 9e.

A photograph of the school's basketball team is in the Observer,
6 October 1923, page 29,
of a flower and pet show on
4 December 1930,
of an Arbor Day in the Chronicle,
6 August 1931, page 33,
9 August 1934, page 32.

Information on a High School is in the Observer,
24 December 1898, page 55c,
13 December 1913, page 49e, Advertiser,
24 June 1922, page 13e,
7 July 1922, page 13b and
the opening of its Memorial Hall on
10 June 1929, page 10h.
"First Inter-School Sports" is in the Register,
26 November 1928, page 4g.

Larrikinism in the village is the cause for complaint in the Register, 16 June 1877, page 4g:

[We are] greatly troubled by unseemly behaviour on the part of larrikins arriving on late trains, especially on Saturday nights. They give annoyance by their foul language and also considerably interfere with the safety of pedestrians by placing fencing wire across the streets.

A Catholic picnic, including a graphic account of an ill-fated pony race, is reported in the Register,
29 December 1877, pages 5b and 6a.

A meeting of ratepayers is reported in the Express,
16 May 1879, page 3g.
The editor of the Register on 23 December 1881 at page 4e had cause for complaint against the Council:

The members of the Woodville District Council seem to be emulating in a small way the Yankee fondness for "financeering". Their code of ethics with regard to money matters is evidently very lax and accommodating.
(Also see Register, 16 January 1882, page 6c.)

Information on the Wesleyan Church is in the Register,
20 December 1883, page 6c,
9 April 1884, page 4h,
6 September 1899, page 6b.

Photographs of the Methodist Church and its Fair Committee are in the Chronicle,
2 November 1912, page 31.
A history of the Methodist Church is in the Register,
16 August 1924, page 4; also see Advertiser,
26 July 1928, page 16d.
"Progress of Fifty Years" is in The News,
7 September 1928, page 4e.

A cricket match against Port Adelaide is reported in the Express,
21 April 1868, page 2d,
Woodville Fossils versus Semaphore Have Beens in the Register,
29 April 1898, page 3b.
Also see South Australia - Sport - Cricket - Miscellany.

The destruction of David Bower's home by fire is reported in the Register,
9 March 1893, page 7a,Express,
9 March 1893, page 2h;
biographical details are in the Register,
17 June 1884, page 6f;
an obituary is in the Chronicle,
9 July 1898, page 17c,Observer,
9 July 1898, page 13c.

The opening of the Probationary Home for Girls is reported in the Register,
11 March 1901, page 4f and
the new council chamber on
11 June 1903, page 8c.
A photograph of members is in the Observer,
11 July 1903, page 27.

A report of jubilee celebrations is in the Advertiser,
11 June 1903, page 4e.

The shooting of a burglar at the railway station is reported in the Express,
9 February 1910, page 1g.

The first annual meeting of the District Trained Nursing Society is reported in the Register,
18 November 1910, page 8h.
The second AGM of the District Trained Nurses Society is reported in the Register,
16 November 1911, page 15e.
An AGM of the District Trained Nurses Society is reported in the Register,
11 November 1915, page 6f.
Also see South Australia - Women - Nursing and Female Doctors.

An obituary of W.M. Jenkin is in the Register,
10 June 1911, page 15d.

Information on George W. Purvis is in the Register,
14 December 1912, page 15e,
20 May 1914, page 10b.

Photographs of the Methodist Church and its Fair Committee are in the Chronicle,
2 November 1912, page 31.
A history of the Methodist Church is in the Register,
16 August 1924, page 4; also see Advertiser,
26 July 1928, page 16d.
"Progress of Fifty Years" is in The News,
7 September 1928, page 4e.

"Rise of Woodville" is in the Register,
26 July 1913, page 17e.

The diamond jubilee of Saint Margaret's Church is reported in the Advertiser,
2 February 1915, page 8e;
its history in the Register,
8 November 1905, page 4a,
22 December 1923, page 6.
"Memories of Saint Margaret's" is in the Observer,
18 June 1921, page 43e.
Photographs are in the Chronicle,
12 June 1915, page 27.

Photographs of St Mary's Church are in The Critic,
9 June 1915, page 15,
of a cricket team on
24 March 1915, page 10.

"Government Babies' Home - Mareeba to be Used" is in the Register,
21 December 1916, page 7a, Advertiser,
5 July 1917, page 7b,
2 August 1917, page 4d; also see Observer,
7 July 1917, page 20e,
4 August 1917, page 29e, The Mail,
25 August 1917, page 11d,
29 June 1918, page 2f.

Photographs and information on its use as an army hospital are in the Chronicle,
5 and 12 August 1916, pages 30 and 43d, Observer,
12 August 1916, page 25.

"At The Babies' Hospital" is in the Observer,
7 July 1917, page 20e.

"A Visit to Mareeba" is in the Register,
19 August 1922, page 10d,
21 April 1923, page 7g.
The approval of plans for extensions to Mareeba Babies' Hospital is reported in the Advertiser,
29 May 1926, page 17f, Register,
24 September 1926, page 8f; also see
8 June 1927, page 12g and The News,
6 April 1927, page 11d,
16 August 1927, page 8g, The Mail,
21 November 1931, page 20.
"How Mareeba Has Grown" is in the Advertiser,
29 March 1935, page 24d.

Information on a High School is in the Observer,
24 December 1898, page 55c, Advertiser,
24 June 1922, page 13e,
7 July 1922, page 13b and
the opening of its Memorial Hall on
10 June 1929, page 10h.

Photographs of a repatriation pageant are in the Chronicle,
3 March 1917, page 27,
of a novelty cycle race on
13 December 1934, page 34.

Photographs of a patriotic pageant are in the The Critic,
28 February 1917, page 13,Observer,
3 March 1917, page 25,
of a Scottish sports day on
18 February 1922, page 24.

Historical information on St Clair House is in the Register,
12 June 1918, page 9d,
15 June 1921, page 9h.

Biographical details of Mrs Marianne Duncan are in the Register,
9 August 1919, page 9a,
of V.Y. Jones on 24 October 1925, page 8i,
of John Hanrahan, overseer of works, on 1 August 1928, page 14e.

The opening of a new troop room for the Boy Scouts is reported in the Advertiser,
13 and 19 February 1923, page 13e.
Photographs are in the The Critic,
28 February 1923, page 5, Chronicle,
24 February 1923, page 34, Observer,
24 February 1923, page 30,
23 October 1926, page 33.
Information on a scout group is in The Mail,
30 June 1928, page 16e.
Also see Adelaide - Boy Scouts.

A history of local government is in the Register,
12 June 1925, page 7e,
while the formation of a municipality is reported in the Advertiser on
31 August 1932, page 15d,
1 September 1932, page 8i,
24 January 1933, page 9c.
Also see South Australia - Miscellanny - Local Government.

Woodville - Obituaries

An obituary of John Bennett is in the Register, 15 December 1890, page 5b,
of E.L. Palmer on 11 February 1891, page 5b,
of William Tulloch on 27 September 1894, page 5b,
of John S. Duncan in the Observer, 19 November 1892, page 30e,
of Francis W. Hood on 15 October 1904, page 20e,
of William Norman on 21 September 1907, page 42d,
of Joseph Mahood on 10 April 1909, page 38a,
of Mrs G. Sharp on 12 March 1910, page 42a.

An obituary of W.C. Harrison, miller, is in the Register, 12 February 1896, page 5c, Observer, 15 February 1896, page 29d,
of William Field in the Register, 20 October 1896, page 5d,
of Henry Hanson on 16 December 1896, page 5e,
of J.G. Rofe, carrier, on 14 June 1897, page 6f,
of George Vivian on 11 May 1898, page 7f,
of Mrs Jane Deslandes on 6 August 1903, page 5a.

An obituary of Denis L. Ryan is in the Register, 14 August 1905, page 4h,
of Mrs A.A. Gowling on 8 January 1906, page 4f,
of F.W. Gee on 9 April 1907, page 4h,
of John Thomson on 22 June 1907, page 7a,
of William Norman on 16 September 1907, page 5e,
of F.J. Gillen on 6 June 1912, page 8f,
of H. Cameron on 13 July 1912, page 12i,
of Thomas J. Mitchell on 5 April 1913, page 17d,
of F.H.A. Wiese on 18 June 1913, page 12h,
of Mrs Anne A. Sharples on 11 September 1913, page 16a,
of Mrs Sarah Jarrett on 2 July 1914, page 6a,
of H.T.J. Matthews on 5 October 1914, page 4f,
of John Beggs on 19 December 1914, page 14h.

An obituary of T.J. Mitchell is in the Observer, 12 April 1913, page 41b,
of Miss Hilda Miethke on 5 July 1913, page 41b,
of Captain H.D. Dale on 6 December 1913, page 41a,
of John Beggs on 26 December 1914, page 41a,
of Mrs M.A. Swann on 12 June 1915, page 44b,
of Frank Clarke on 6 November 1915, page 46a,
of Robert Gray on 6 November 1915, page 46b,
of H.T.J. Matthews on 15 April 1916, page 19a,
of J.B. Ritchie on 20 October 1917, page 13a,
of William Aird on 8 December 1917, page 30b,
of A.E. Norman on 28 February 1920, page 18d,
of Richard Remphrey on 17 April 1920, page 20a.

An obituary of Mrs M.A. Swann is in the Register, 8 June 1915, page 4f,
of M.T. (Ben) Newland on 1 February 1917, page 4g,
of R.D. Hanson on 5 May 1917, page 8f,
of Mrs Marianna Gartrell on 11 October 1917, page 4e,
of J.B. Ritchie on 17 October 1917, page 6g,
of William Aird on 3 December 1917, page 6g,
of A.E. Norman on 25 February 1920, page 6h,
of Richard Remphrey on 10 April 1920, page 8h,
of Mrs Marianne Duncan on 22 June 1920, page 7c,
of Dr S. Blackney on 20 January 1923, page 8h,
of James W. Dunlop on 9 February 1923, page 6g,
of Joseph Taylor on 6 August 1920, page 8h.

An obituary of John Drennan is in the Register, 16 July 1921, page 5g, 12 August 1921, page 9a, Observer, 23 July 1921, page 20b,
of Z. Herbert Jones in the Register, 1 December 1923, page 5h,
of Rev Alfred H. Carne on 1 January 1924, page 6g,
of John Maddern on 29 March 1924, page 8i,
of G.A. Connor on 5 October 1925, page 6g,
of Charles W. Ive on 22 October 1925, page 8g,
of Mrs James Beaton on 24 September 1926, page 15d.

An obituary of Samuel Scott is in the Observer, 6 January 1923, page 35c,
of J.W. Dunlop on 17 February 1923, page 35e,
of Joseph Taylor on 11 August 1923, page 35b,
of Z.H. Jones on 8 December 1923, page 39d,
of John Ledger on 28 June 1924, page 28d,
of C.W. Ive on 24 October 1925, page 28d,
of W.H. Saunders on 30 June 1928, page 45c.

An obituary of Wilfred G. Darby is in the Register, 22 March 1927, page 8f,
of Miss Helen Field on 4 May 1927, page 20a,
of George A. Willsmore on 8 June 1927, page 13a,
of William H. Saunders on 27 June 1928, page 11d.

Wookata

Nomenclature

General Notes

Wool Bay

Nomenclature

Wool from adjacent pastoral runs was shipped from there.

General Notes

The settlement is described in the Observer,
16 October 1875, page 6b.

Messrs Anstey and Giles formerly shipped the wool at this place and constructed a narrow path to roll the bales down; it was intended to ease the gradient of this cutting and, as the levels had been taken a few days previously, men superintended by Messrs R. Anderson and S. Kruger set to work in earnest. By the evening a cutting 12 feet wide was nearly finished and next day completed... Much valuable time is lost in striving to get the government to construct the necessary work... For a considerable distance along the coast there is a sandy beach, but within 100 yards of the shore there is 1? fathoms of water, so that vessels can lie near; but although much wool has been shipped at the place in former years nothing has been done in the line lately. Judging by the number of settlers who attended to cut the approaches the place will be a success, but time will show.

The school operated for one year in 1877 and reopened as Pickering in 1913;
changed to "Wool Bay" in 1941 and closed in 1942;
see Register, 23 September 1910, page 10a.

The opening of lime kilns is reported in the Register,
16 August 1910, page 8c,Observer,
20 August 1910, page 11e,
"New Limekilns" is in the Register,
22 August 1913, page 7d.
"The Lime Industry" is in the Observer,
5 July 1913, page 17b,
30 August 1913, page 17b.

The town is described in the Chronicle,
20 August 1910, page 44e.
A photograph of a cricket team is in the Chronicle,
28 May 1936, page 35.

The opening of a hall is reported in the Observer,
21 December 1912, page 17b.

"Caught by an Octopus - Fisherman's Lucky Escape" is in the Register,
29 May 1913, page 14g.

An obituary of Archibald Anderson is in the Register,
16 April 1917, page 6g.

Woolmit

Nomenclature

There are two conflicting accounts of its nomenclature:

To pioneer settlers there is something pathetic in the passing of the old-time stations... On Thursday, Woolmit, with its 7,129 acres of freehold and 23,483 acres of lease near to Kingston will pass under the hammer... the fine property has been in the possession of the Morris family since the early days and will fall into alien hands. When the estate was originally taken up black cockatoos used to swarm on the adjacent swamps and it was from "Weelup", the native appellation for these sombre birds, that the property received its name...

Mrs Thomas Hayes of Wangolina Station writes: "The first person who selected Woolmit in the early fifties was my grandmother, the late Mrs A. Dunn, of Mount Benson... It was never held by the Morris family before Mr H.A. Morris bought it from the Union Bank, about 10 years or more ago. Woolmit was named after the property of the late Mrs Dunn's father (the late Captain McKenzie) in Leith, Scotland..."

General Notes

"Passing of the Stations" is in the Register,
17 and 21 January 1911, pages 5e and 3g, Observer,
21 January 1911, page 11a.

Woolpunda

Nomenclature

The name given to the largest elevated tank of its kind in Australia and a pumping station near Waikerie; completed in 1921 it was demolished in 1979. Today the name is given to a shack location adjacent to section 447, Hundred of Moorook about 19 km north-west of Waikerie.

General Notes

The school opened in 1921 and closed in 1940.

A photograph of the water tower is in the Observer,
27 July 1929, page 5c.

Woolsheds

Parliamentary Paper 19/1869-70 shows it as a school conducted by Mary K. Wilson with 33 enrolled pupils; it opened in 1865 and closed in 1872. The specific location is not named but it may relate to "Woolshed Flat", near Halbury.

Examinations at Woolshed School are reported in the Register,
6 November 1865, page 3c,Observer,
4 November 1865, page 4c.

An examination at the Woolshed School was held... Mr and Mrs Howard, Mr and Mrs Barber, Mr and Mrs Kemp, and several other parents who take an interest in the school, were present. The school has been established for 12 months... Mr Hopkins conducted the examinations... and expressed the opinion that Miss Wilson had devoted great attention to her pupils... [A prize list is appended]

Information on the Woolshed Flat School near Rhynie is in the Advertiser,
22 February 1870, page 3d.
A sketch is in the Pictorial Australian in
December 1889, page 168.

The opening of a Wesleyan Chapel at Woolshed (sic), "near Riverton", is reported in the Register,
11 August 1859, page 3g.
The reopening of the Woolshed Flat Wesleyan Chapel, "six miles from Riverton" is reported in the Advertiser,
1 November 1861, page 3a.

An obituary of William Kemp, formerly of Woolshed Flat, is in the Register,
6 June 1908, page 9b, Observer,
13 June 1908, page 40a.

Wooltana

Nomenclature

A name applied to several features in the Flinders Ranges and a sheep run near Lake Frome 106 km east of Copley named by J. McTaggart in 1868 (lease no. 1757). He originally took up the land in partnership with J. McCallum on 22 July 1857. (Lease no. 560). It is derived from the Aboriginal uldanha - 'a bunch of leaves', the motivation of which is unknown, but 'Uldanha Waterhole' is in the immediate vicinity.

General Notes

The station is described in the Register,
11 November 1899, page 11c.
An obituary of John McTaggart is in the Register,
26 September 1907, page 4i,Observer,
28 September 1907, page 40c and
of Mrs Mary McTaggart in the Register,
11 July 1921, page 6e
(her reminiscences appear in the Register,
3 May 1919, page 7d, Observer,
10 May 1919, page 48c).

The reminiscences of Lachlan McTaggart are in the Observer,
16 September 1916, page 15b.

Photographs of "On the Wooltana Mail Track" are in the Observer,
2 November 1918, page 25.

An obituary of Alfred Beckman is in theObserver,
12 June 1920, page 12b.

A photograph of the station is in the Observer,
18 February 1922, page 25,
of a "flourishing garden" at the station in the Chronicle,
18 February 1922, page 30; also see
11 October 1924, page 38,
8 September 1928, page 58,
16 July 1931, page 9.

"Volcanic Riches at Wooltana" is in The News,
27 October 1923, page 2d,
"Natural Ammonia - The Northern Cave Deposits" in the Register,
9 October 1924, page 12f.

Speaking further upon his Wooltana volcano venture, Mr Montague stated that he held a mineral lease over 80 acres enclosing the bounds of the hill in the name of himself and his partner, Mr J.S. Carr. It was proposed at first to float the proposition into a company... It was proposed to put a tunnel into the hill from the ground level to cut the sulphate rock... No treatment was needed to make the sulphate of ammonia ready for market as it could be bagged and sold to farmers and gardeners off the trucks...

Woolundunga

Nomenclature

Aborigines gave the name to springs near Mount Brown claimed by the Aboriginal tribe of the same name.

General Notes

Information on the spring which supplied water to Port Augusta is in the Register,
28 September 1871, page 5a; also see
1 October 1889, page 6h.
See Augusta, Port.

The following information has been elicited from Mr Watts in respect to the spring at Woolundunga - The estimated daily flow is 12,000 gallons; the cost of the water to consumers for domestic purposes is 20 shillings per 1,000 gallons; steamboats and to the boiling down works, 10 shillings per 1,000 gallons; horses and bullocks, 2 pence each, sheep, 15 shillings per thousand...

The first ploughing match and exhibition of stock of the Wooroora Agricultural, Horticultural and Floricultural Society was held on August 23... The ground selected for the match was in Mr T.H. Ayliffe's paddock and from its central position was well adapted for the purposes of the meeting... The population of these places mustered to the extent of about 250 and the visitors from Tarlee ran up the number of people to a little over 300... [a lengthy dissertation follows on all events of the day]

Worlds End Creek

Nomenclature

The name was taken from the 'World's End Run' held by D. McDonald (lease no. 7 of 1851). As it lies outside 'Goyder's Line' the generally semi-arid condition of the country, no doubt, suggested to early pastoralists that to venture beyond this place was to court disaster.

General Notes

The World's End Run is described in the Register,
12 September 1864, page 3f.

"The Phosphate Industry" is in the Register,
18 October 1905, page 4a.

The phosphate industry is becoming popular in this district. The claims near World's End, originally held by Messrs J. Lewis, P.F. Ellicoat, S. Baker, W. Prior, T. Rosewall and others has got into the hands of a Melbourne syndicate...

Worturpa

Nomenclature

General Notes

A gold discovery is reported in the Register,
7, 8, 10, 13 and 14 July 1899, pages 5h, 7i, 5h, 6b and 6a.
A photograph is in The Critic,
12 August 1899, page 7.

The instructions which Mr Gee took with him were that if he was satisfied of the genuineness of the find he should at once proclaim a provisional goldfield under the title of the "Worturpa Goldfield". This is the name of an adjacent spring and was selected as a euphonious native appellation... The result of declaring a goldfield is that prospectors can thereafter only take up claims of 100 feet along the line of reef by 600 feet wide, instead of claims of 40 acres, as is possible on an ordinary mineral field...

Wow Wow

Nomenclature

The Register, 29 November 1904 says:

A month ago or so... the few settlers called a meeting and signed a memorial requesting that the name of Wow Wow should be changed to Lammeroo (sic). Wowell, which is the proper name of the plain, as it was first called by the natives, would be a popular name. Wow Wow is a mistake and no one seems to know how it came to take the place of Wowell.

General Notes

Information on the district is in the Register,
29 November 1904, page 3d.

At Wow Wow, surrounded by the well-grassed plain... one may observe any evening small gatherings of farmers, each with his bucket or billy, conversing over the events of the day... On the southern portion of the plain, dotted here and there, are the white survey pegs marking out the township block... The rabbits will cause some trouble as they are numerous... The Saturday mail comes to the survey camp on Dingo Plains... .

General Notes

Wrenfordsley, Hundred of

Nomenclature

Sir Henry Thomas Wrenfordsley, Chief Justice of West Australia in the 1890s. It is apparent that Sir Henry Wrenfordsley was a personal friend of the Governor of South Australia, Sir William Robinson, at the time the Hundred was named.

General Notes

It is apparent that Sir Henry Wrenfordsley was a personal friend of the Governor of South Australia, Sir William Robinson, at the time the Hundred was named - see Register,
22 January 1885, page 6b and
2 February 1885, page 5e,Observer,
9 April 1887, page 6e.

Wright, Hundred of

Nomenclature

General Notes

Wudinna

Nomenclature

Mr Gerald Kenny, formerly of the Lands Department, states that 'Wudinna' was a misinterpretation in head office of the surveyor's correspondence, wherein he names the Hundred of Weedinna, after granite rocks, called 'Weedinna Hill'.

H.C. Talbot says it is derived from woodna, meaning 'boomerang', while in a published district history it is said:

According to legend, the name arose from an occasion, perhaps hundreds of years before the white man arrived, when a group of youths, the future hunters and warriors of the tribe, were practising for their proficiency in spear throwing. This was in readiness for their acceptance into manhood by the elders of the tribe. The exercise was to throw their weapons to the opposite end of a clearing and then to go down and retrieve them. On this particular day, when one of the young potentials found his spear he excitedly exclaimed "Cudji weedi deena tuna''. This, when translated from the dialect of these people means "spear stick into snake''. Apparently he had pinned down a snake by a chance shot and caused a great deal of excitement, so much so that the place became known as "Cudji weedi deena tuna''. As time went on it became abbreviated to ""Weedideena''.

General Notes

A photograph of an old homestead is in the Chronicle,
5 August 1911, page 29.

The school opened in 1919;
the Wudinna East School opened as "Goodville";
name changed in 1926 and closed in 1938;
the Hundred of Wudinna School opened in 1924 and became "Goodville" in the same year and "Wudinna East" in 1926;
a photograph is in the Chronicle,
22 December 1932, page 32.

"Wudinna Tragedy" is in the Register,
29 July 1924, page 8f.

The district is described in the Observer,
1 May 1926, page 42d,Register,
29 April 1926, page 13a and
the town and district on
18 May 1926, page 7.
Photographs are in the Chronicle,
28 July 1928, page 52 and
4 August 1928, page 40,
14 November 1935, page 32,
16 April 1936, page 35.

An illustration of some of the difficulties experienced by settlers was provided in the meeting along the road of a woman driving a pair of horses in a buggy. It was ascertained that she was proceeding six miles to school to bring her young son home. She had driven him to school in the morning. While at Wudinna Rock an inspection was made of a modern method of making a catchment area of the hillside... Another elaborate scheme was seen at Polda Rock...

A photograph of a football team is in the Chronicle,
24 October 1935, page 36,
of a cricket team on
7 May 1936, page 38,
of a tennis team on
14 May 1936, page 33.

Wyrie Swamp

It is described in the Chronicle,
19 September 1868, page 4f,
its overflow in the Observer,
28 August 1875, page 7c and
the district in the Register,
3 February 1875, page 6c.

It is about two and a half miles wide by nearly four miles long and has heretofore been almost useless for any purpose; but when the drainage is completed it will be one of the richest spots reclaimed...